The Hunt

2312:

Fort Covington, New York:

A group of 4 Enclave soldiers, all wearing Enclave Hellfire Power Armor, approach the recently captured supply bunker.

The 2 Brotherhood guards raise their guns while 2 cloaked deathclaws position themselves near the Enclave soldiers.

"We've come to parley" one of the Enclave soldiers said

The two guards turn to each other and nod before opening the bunker doors.

The Enclave soldiers are guided by heavily armed Brotherhood personnel towards a small room. Inside, was just a table with Jack, Audrey, and Goris positioned on one end. The Enclave Soldiers all stand on the other end as the negotiations begin.

"Nice of you guys to come and chat" Jack said "Why don't you sit down?"

"We'd rather stand" one of the Enclave soldiers replied

"Can you at least show your faces?"

"So you can shoot us while we have our guard down?" another Enclave soldier interjected

"If I wanted to kill you in such an underhanded way, I'd have done it already and with much more flair"

"You expect us to believe yo-"

"Alfonse that's enough" the Enclave soldier in the center interjected "I'm the one negotiating here"

"And may I have the pleasure of knowing your name and face?" Jack replied

"I am Bryle Sanderson" the Enclave soldier replied as he reveals his elderly face to the Brotherhood soldiers "I command Squad Sigma's remnants. Why do you want to parley with us?"

"Well I don't really see much value in killing all of you guys off. You're all aware that the war with the Brotherhood ended after your little crawler got destroyed decades ago"

"Not to us. That defeat was just a setback"

"A setback you have yet to recover from"

"Get to the point"

"I am offering you and your remnants pardon in exchange for aiding the Union in fighting a much deadlier foe"

"Pardon?!" Alfonse interjected as he steps forward "Last time someone offered that to us, most of us were lined up to a wall!"

"Alfonse!" Bryle shouted as Alfonse backs away "Forgive my subordinate. He has experienced so much throughout the years. Anyway, why should we believe you? What kind of authority do you have?"

"I was given authority by the leaders of the Union themselves. You're privy to the recent war, right?"

"You mean the NCR invasion? Yes. But do understand that the NCR promised safe passage for surviving Enclave soldiers to be exiled to the east, only to instantly renege the second the soldiers dropped their weapons. So we need more than just your word"

"Fair enough" Jack said as he brings out a holotape player "Have you guys heard of Eleanor Neumann?"

"Yes. I knew her from her our campaign in the Capital Wasteland"

"Then this should be easy"

Jack plays the tape. "To all Enclave remnants, I am Commander Eleanor Neumann. Let it be known that I have reestablished the Enclave from the various remnants cells scattered throughout the country though not every cell has responded to my call. If you are hearing this, then you are one of those cells. I implore you to cease all anti-wastelander operations and join up with my forces located in the old Navarro base in NCR territory. To provide authenticity to my authority, I present this override code to the commanding officer: Papa-Echo-Alpha-Charlie-Echo-2-2-8-2"

"NCR territory?!" Alfonse said "This is obviously a trick! The NCR still wants to exterminate us after all these years!"

"The code checks out" Bryle interjected "Only a high ranking Enclave commander will know this code. Ok. You've proven your intentions. Now what is it do you want with us?"

"You all managed to maintain such advanced weapons and armor after all these years" Jack replied "That must mean you still have quite the number of scientists, engineers, materials, and equipment"

"Maybe"

"The Brotherhood in New Mexico is currently rebuilding an old pre-War machine that will aid us in the coming war. We need your people and equipment to hasten the process"

"Who is this bigger enemy anyway?"

"Vault-Tec"

"Impossible. Vault-Tec Corporation was destroyed when the bombs fell"

"Bryle, was it? How high up were you in the Enclave?"

"As you can see, I am a special forces commander"

"Nothing more?"

"Yes"

"Then you weren't high enough to know about them. Only Enclave higher ups knew about it"

"You expect me to believe you based on that?"

"You know Eleanor Neumann. You can ask her yourself if you want. I can even offer you a ride on our vertibirds"

"No need. We have our own. But what will you gives us in exchange? Just pardon?"

"For starters, the pardon and also you will have this whole region to yourself. The Union may even aid you in rebuilding if you want"

"Those are some big promises from you. What makes you think we need the Union's help to maintain our settlement?"

"You got quite the lineup of advanced toys but even you should know that it'll only be a matter of time before they all degrade through age and you can only go so far with scavenging. Can you honestly tell me that you can make all these toys last forever?"

"Quite the astute point. Very well. Will you give me time to consider your terms?"

"Of course but don't take too long now or else your people would start getting hungry"

The 4 Enclave soldiers then leave the bunker. As they made their way back to their base, Alfonse approaches his commander.

"You're not seriously considering accepting their terms" he said

"I am" Bryle answered

"Are you serious?! Have you forgotten what happened at the NCR?!"

"I didn't but I'm willing to take this gamble. It has been years since our war. Wounds may not have completely healed but you and me both know that we cannot continue living this way forever. We must reconcile or else future generations will suffer for our sins"

"Think this through, commander! There's no reconciliation with these wasteland mutants!"

"I don't think so, Alfonse. I've grown kinda weary of fighting and losing to these people. Maybe it's time we set aside old grudges"

The Strip, New Vegas

6pm:

"Land over there" Laura said pointing at the helipad on top of the Lucky 38

"You have a helipad but no vertibird?" Alexander remarked

"Not my design"

"Right… Say, whatever happened to House?"

"… Dead"

"Cause?"

"Natural Causes"

"Brutal world"

Upon landing on the Lucky 38, Alexander switches the engines off.

"What are you doing?" Laura asked

"Turning off the vertibird" Alexander answered

"I can see that. Why?"

"Come on. Let me rest a bit. I've been piloting that vertibird for hours"

"So? The NCR should only be a few minutes away for you"

"Well unlike you and Rufus, I'm just a regular person and being past 50, my body's starting to show its age"

"Nothing you say will get New Vegas to support your war"

"Shot down already but that's not what I'm trying to do. Come on. Let an old man rest"

"… Fine"

As the 3 exit the vertibird, a securitron approaches Laura.

"Ma'am" it said in a male robotic tone "You are needed at the Penthouse"

"Must be something urgent" Laura responded "I'm on my way. You two follow me"

"Oh. You suddenly trust us to listen in this meeting of yours?" Rufus asked sarcastically

"No but I have a sneaking suspicion you'll listen in either way"

"What makes you say that?"

"It's what I'd do"

"Touché"

The 3 then made their way to the penthouse and are greeted by Yes Man.

"Oh Hi!" Yes Man said in the most enthusiastic voice possible "It's been more than a month since I've seen you!"

"Hey Yes Man" Laura replied "What's so urgent?"

"You came back at a good time! There's been some trouble in Jacobstown and by the Old Fort"

"What kind of trouble?"

"During the past few weeks, the Super Mutants in Jacobstown have started pillaging the farms in the area and just a few days ago, The Great Khans suddenly took up residence at the Old Fort and have been conducting raids on Bitter Springs"

"What? Why would Marcus want to attack humans and why would the Khans come back hostile?"

"I don't have an answer to that but you'd best be going before they cause too much damage"

"Noted. How're the defending forces holding up?"

"The local defense force in Bitter Springs has formed a small trench line facing the lake. They've been able to repel the Khans for the past few days though"

"How about the western militia?"

"They blocked off the pass leading to Jacobstown and made a makeshift checkpoint though they're always forced back every time the super mutants attack"

"I see… Yes Man. Prepare the reserve forces. Have them ready to mobilize at a moment's notice"

"Will do!"

Laura then proceeds to the elevator, with Rufus and Alexander close behind.

"So what's the plan?" Rufus asked

"This problem is mine to sort" Laura answered "Don't you two have another problem to focus on?"

"Do you have a ham radio?" Alexander interjected "All I need is to send a warning to a trusted individual"

"The answer is still no"

"You're seriously turning away help?"

"I've governed this entire region by myself for decades. I don't need you and I most certainly don't need to be indebted to you, let alone the NCR"

"Yeesh" Rufus said "That NCR distrust you got runs too deep if you ask me"

"Ha! You wouldn't understand you didn't live in the NCR in the 2260s"

"Yeah I'll never understand. Still irrelevant to the present matter at hand. Look. We can help you. You can't defend both places at once even you have realize that"

"… Yes I know. Fine. You can help but know that I will not owe either of you anything"

"Fine by me"

"Not like I was expecting a reward" Alexander added

As the 3 enter the elevator, Laura checks the map on her Pip-boy. "Bitter Springs and Jacobstown are located on opposite ends of New Vegas. That means 2 of us go on one location while one goes to the other"

"I'll head to Bitter Springs" Alexander said "I can take command of the local forces there. Just send the word"

"Then it's Jacobstown for me" Rufus said as the elevator doors open.

The 3 then walk through a small hallway, eventually entering one of the small rooms. Inside are a few pieces of pre-War furniture and a ham radio placed on top of a table.

"Here" Laura said as Alexander starts tinkering with the device

"Kenway this is Confidant. Do you copy?" Alexander said

No response.

"Who are you trying to contact?" Rufus asked

"A common friend"

"Friend huh…"

"Kenway. Are you there?"

"Does this Kenway person know you're supposed to contact him now?"

"His radio should be able to pick up all transmission coming from me"

"Then there's something wrong here"

"Confidant" a raspy voice answered on the other end "This is Kenway. I read you"

"Kenway?" Alexander said, squinting his eyes "You sound like a ghoul"

"Yes… It's a long story"

"Really now. So tell me about the operation in Washington"

"You mean the one that went tits up? Quite the specific failure you mentioned"

"Yep. That's Kenway"

"Was that just a code phrase or something?" Rufus wondered

"You're with the wanderer it seems" Kenway responded

"You know me?"

"Yeah. So Confidant, what's the situation?"

"Our common enemy is preparing to annihilate NCR and Legion forces in one fell swoop. It'll look like a brutal battle if they succeed"

"What do you need me to do?"

"Warn the allies. We have to stop this battle from happening. Also, I need an update on our little science project"

"The science project is going smoothly but we can't control it. Looks like we need 'that' to make it work"

"Got it. Though isn't 'that' already been used so many times in the past? Are there even any left?"

"I have a hunch where we can find one but it's better to meet you face-to-face"

"I'll do that once I'm done with my business here"

"Roger that. Give me a call when you're on the way. We can meet at the usual spot"

"Copy. Stay safe, Kenway"

"You too, Confidant"

"Quite the informant network you've built" Rufus remarked as Alexander turns off the radio

"Not really" he replied "I didn't exactly build this network"

"Why wasn't I part of this?"

"You're quite skilled in combat and all that but I don't know how good you are as a spy. Rest assured, this network is air-tight"

"Alright…"

"Are you done?" Laura asked

"Yes" Alexander answered

"Then let's go"

"Should I give you a lift before going to Bitter Springs?"

"No. I have an alternate way"

"How?"

Laura then walks towards the bathroom. "This way"

Perplexed, the Alexander and Rufus enter the bathroom as Laura looks at her Pip-boy.

"Rufus" she said "Step away from the Alexander. Alexander, proceed with your objective after this"

Rufus complies as a bolt of lightning suddenly strikes the general and he disappears.

"What the hell?!" Rufus shouted

"Relax" Laura replied "I simply teleported him to the helipad"

"Teleported? What kind of tech do you have?"

"Long story. Now I'll be teleporting us close to the militia checkpoints"

2118:

Washington State

Underground Assassin Bureau:

Ezekiel loiters at a corner in a T-shaped hallway as he eats a ham sandwich.

"Zeke? What are you doing there?"

Ezekiel turns to his left. "Helen? Nothing much… Just waiting"

"Waiting for what?"

"Grandpa" Ezekiel answered as he finished his sandwich and a door down the hallway opens "Go against the wall"

Helen complied as Ezekiel peeks from the corner. He sees Raven walk towards the opposite end of the hallway.

"You're not planning something stupid, are you?" Helen asked "Where's Miguel?"

"Miguel's not here" Ezekiel answered as he casually walks towards the door "This is serious"

"Serious? What're you planning? And what does your grandpa have to do with this?"

"Let me hack this door open, first. Watch my back"

"You're seriously roping me into this?!"

"You came at the right time. Besides, I can't let you out now that you've found me out"

"… Fine but this better not bite me in the ass!"

"If my hunch is right, it won't… Got it!"

As the two initiates enter Raven's room, Ezekiel quickly goes towards his grandfather's terminal, making short work of its security.

"So what the hell are you doing?" Helen asked

"Something's been bothering me about Vault-Tec's raids. They're too successful"

"What do you mean?"

"I want to confirm something and every time I ask grandpa about the Seattle bureau, he wouldn't tell me anything. Haven't you noticed that we've been sent on so many missions lately?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"Bingo. He has a file on the Seattle raid"

Ezekiel then quickly copies the files to a holotape before turning the terminal off.

"So what now?" Helen asked

"Let's go back to my room. I got some data to analyze"

A few minutes later

Ezekiel's Room:

Upon closing the door, Ezekiel wastes no time in placing his holotape inside his terminal.

"Out of all the raids, why Seattle?" Helen asked

"Call it a hunch" Ezekiel answered "There was no way that me and Miguel's blunder would quickly alert Vault-Tec to our shelter in less than a week"

"You think there's a mole?"

"Maybe but I wanna know what happened in Seattle for sure. There could be a pattern in Vault-Tec's strategy"

After a few minutes of reading, Ezekiel is taken aback.

"What's wrong?" Helen asked

"Hey" Ezekiel said as he turns to Helen "Didn't Miguel say nothing odd happened before the Seattle raid?"

"Yeah"

"According to this report, there were several weapons and equipment that went missing a few days before the raid. Then there was the unusual increase of raider activity in the area. And finally, several assassins going missing"

"Well… Miguel is just an initiate. Not like he'll know about these things and I don't think the higher ups would ever tell someone of Miguel's position these kinds of information"

"That's true���"

"Honestly, Zeke. That's kinda awful of you to doubt our friend like that"

"I'm not really doubting Miguel or anything but this does prove that there is definitely a mole in our ranks"

"That's true… So what do we do with this information?"

"What else? We hunt this little rat"

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I don't have a concrete plan yet but keep your eyes open for anything out of place. I have a bad feeling about all this…"

"I suspect this conversation will be between us"

"Yes"

"Noted. Don't do anything reckless, Zeke"

"I won't. Besides, if shit hits the fan, I'll manage. You know how good I am to winging things"

"That's what worries me…"

2312

Fort Covington, New York

The next day (Early Morning):

Jack, Audrey, Goris, and 2 Brotherhood Paladins stand next to a destroyed APC in an old pre-War military checkpoint, waiting for the Enclave envoy.

"Are you sure about this?" Audrey asked "I don't trust these guys. They agreed to that deal far too quickly"

"We have them by the throat. They made the mistake of stockpiling most of their supplies in one place so they don't have a choice either way"

"I'm not so sure… Based on the archives, they're far more aggressive and craftier"

"I know. I was already alive when the Enclave was wreaking havoc around the Capital Wasteland"

"Then why are you so confident?"

"Ah, my dear… You have much to learn"

"What was that?"

"Shh. Here they come"

4 Enclave soldiers, all wearing Hellfire armor, arrive in the checkpoint.

"So" Jack said noticing their weapons had their safeties off "Do we have a deal?"

The Enclave soldiers did not respond.

"Where's your commander?"

"The commander is unavailable at the moment"

"This is a trap!" Audrey shouted as she and her Paladins raise their guns

"Hold your fire!" Jack shouted as the Enclave soldiers return the favor "What do you mean he's unavailable?"

"It's just as we said. The commander is not here"

"Why?"

"Then why are you here?"

As Jack awaits a response, a few loud pops echo throughout the area.

"Oh…" Jack said as he throws a pulse grenade at the Enclave soldiers "… So that's how you're going to play it"

The grenade disables the Enclave power armor as the Brotherhood soldiers frantically run from the hail of incoming mortars, eventually hiding inside the outpost.

"So this is how they want to play it…" Jack remarked as he grabs his radio

"I knew they couldn't be trusted!" Audrey shouted "We have to get back to the bunker and-"

"No need. Goris if you please"

"With pleasure" Goris replied as he takes the radio

"What's going on?" Audrey asked

"I always think of contingency plans. I had a feeling that a couple of hardliners won't accept the conditions"

"Then why did you even negotiate in the first place?"

"I wanted to know what kind of enemies we are facing"

"Well now you know"

"Kind of. Though I don't believe that this attack is officially sanctioned by Bryle"

"What are you talking about?! In case you didn't notice, they rained mortars on us!"

"I know a snake when I hear and see them. I didn't sense any of that in Bryle during the negotiations"

"What makes you so sure? These are Enclave remnants!"

"I'm surprised you'd say that especially considering the fact that you're allied with Ellie and her Enclave faction"

"That's-"

"Different? How so? No matter how much you look at it, Ellie's Enclave is still composed of Enclave remnants and descendants. This group is no different. And how am I so sure? I don't know if you were alive in 2277 but being a member of Talon Company for so long, I was exposed to so many snakes that I can easily tell one when I see it"

"It's done" Goris said as the mortar fire suddenly stops

"Nice work, Goris"

"What?" Audrey wondered

"I had Goris estimate where the mortars are coming from and had his deathclaws take care of it"

"Ok. Let's go back to the bunker and-"

"We'll push forward"

"We'll what?!"

"Part 2. Yesterday, I had a small group of deathclaws follow Bryle and his envoy back to their base of operations. If we're gonna get answers, it's there and the entire leadership will be there so we can decapitate the head"

"Heh… I can see why Senora Cruz is always so wary of you"

"Haha. You don't know the half of it. Now let's go"

"We're not going to regroup?"

"No time. I have faith we can handle ourselves"

An hour later:

Fighting through a few squads of Sigma Squad soldiers, Jack and his squad take cover behind some debris as they reach a pre-War courthouse, with Squad Sigma troops hiding behind fortified positions in and around the building.

"They're dug in deep!" Audrey shouted as bullets fly around their position "What's the plan?"

Jack peeks from the left corner of his cover. "I see a trenchline leading towards that building. It's quite the walk but I think we can make it"

"You want us to run on open ground?"

"I'm the only one not wearing power armor here so you can take some punishment. I'll be right behind you"

"What about the deathclaw? He's way taller than us"

"I can run" Goris responded "I don't need cover"

"Alright" Jack said as he reloads his rifle "Everyone good?"

Audrey sighs. "Ready when you are"

Seconds later, Audrey and the 2 paladins emerge from their cover, opening fire as they slowly walk towards the trench with Jack close behind.

Goris runs on all fours, quickly reaching the trench in seconds. He pounces on one soldier before proceeding to throw the other soldier out of the trench.

The pinned down enemy soldier tries to use his single free arm to fire a shot at the deathclaw but Goris quickly grabs the gun's barrel and pushes it to the side as he grabs and slowly crushes the helmet before lifting the soldier by his head and smashing the damaged helmet to the ground, neutralizing the soldier.

As he finishes his attack, a bullet grazes Goris' right arm as more enemy soldiers converge on his position. Goris is forced to hide behind cover as the rest of the squad jumps down to the trench and neutralizes the oncoming soldiers.

"Keep the pressure on!" Jack said as they push into the building from the trenchline

As they break into the building's main door, enemy forces fired upon the squad from fortified positions on the 2nd floor. Goris and Jack run to the rightmost room while Audrey and the paladins take cover behind some pillars and debris.

"Let's keep going" Jack said as he proceeds to another door on the opposite end

"What of the others?" Goris asked

"They can handle themselves. We can outflank the enemy from here. We don't have the luxury of power armor afterall"

"An astute point. Lead the way"

Upon opening the door, Jack finds himself in a narrow hallway and after taking a few steps, the doors ahead of him burst open as several enemy soldiers emerge.

Jack quickly dives to the ground and returns fire on the enemy soldiers, who mostly hide back behind cover though a single soldier, in power armor, proceeds to open fire on him, prompting the Union soldier to roll to a nearby pillar.

"Jack!" Goris shouted

"Stay there!" Jack replied as the enemy soldier walks closer towards him "I got this!"

He tries to take a peek but only manages to catch a glimpse of his adversary before being forced to hide once again due to enemy fire.

Jack grabs a pulse grenade but quickly notices the barrel of a gun at the corner of his right eye. He drops his grenade and quickly grabs the barrel, pulling the enemy soldier towards him.

The Union soldier then elbows the enemy soldier by the throat, turns him around, and pushes him towards his comrades before Jack grabs his pulse grenade and throws it.

The grenade manages to disable the enemy's power armor, prompting him to use the armor as a makeshift cover.

"Goris!" Jack shouted as he throws a smoke grenade "Now!"

As the smoke becomes thick enough to obscure vision, the deathclaw emerges from cover and charges towards the remaining enemy soldiers.

Jack couldn't see what was happening but the screams of the enemy soldiers and Goris' roars were enough to give a picture of the situation.

After a few minutes, the smoke dissipates and the bodies of enemy soldiers litter the narrow hallway.

"Brutal" Jack remarked

"They are not dead" Goris replied "I made sure to merely incapacit-"

"What's wrong?"

"I hear something…"

"What is it?"

"Someone is calling for help. His voice is very familiar…"

"You know where it's coming from?"

"I think I can pinpoint where it is coming from"

"Lead the way then"

Charleston Cave, New Vegas:

"What the fuck?!" Rufus said as he and Laura suddenly appear inside the cave after a flash of lightning

"Relax" Laura said in a dismissive tone "I bet you've experienced worse"

"Doesn't mean that I won't feel anything! I never used a teleporter before!"

"You don't go out on pre-War labs and ruins much, do you?"

"Oh no. No. No. I am not gonna let that stand! I'm called the Lone Wanderer for a reason!"

"A wanderer doesn't automatically mean you travel into ruins"

"You're a poor judge of character then! Besides, weren't you called 'the courier' once upon a time? That title doesn't shout 'adventurer' to me either!"

"Touché but then my point still stands that you barely travel into pre-War ruins"

Rufus sighs. "Anyway, why are we in a cave? Why not go to the militia checkpoint and get information there?"

"I don't need to talk to the locals for this. I know these super mutants. They're not supposed to be hostile"

"What do you mean?"

"They're a peaceful faction, their leader made sure of that"

"Peaceful super mutants, huh… I thought the ones I found in the East Coast were the only ones"

"We are looking for a super mutant named Marcus. His appearance is a bit different than your regular mutant"

"Alright. I'll follow your lead"

"Watch out for nightkin"

"Nightkin?"

"Blue-skinned super mutants. They love to use stealth boys"

"Got it"

Using the cover of night, Rufus and laura sneak past several super mutant and nightkin patrols, eventually reaching the outskirts of Jacobstown.

"Damn" Rufus said as he notices the numerous makeshift barricades around the pre-War resort "This is quite the fortress they made"

"This isn't normal" Laura responded "Marcus would never allow this to happen"

"Who is this Marcus, anyway?"

"He's the leader of all these super mutants and he's the reason why these super mutants were even peaceful in the first place"

"NO!" a female voice echoed

"What was that?!" Rufus said as he notices the super mutants dragging a couple of wastelanders into Jacobstown "Shit!"

"They're abducting people… For what purpose, though?"

"If the mutants in the East Coast are anything to go by, these poor souls are gonna be turned into one of them"

"That's impossible. Marcus' super mutants haven't converted anyone since they first settled here. They wouldn't have access to that mutagen that created them in the first place"

"You may be right but their methods are just too similar"

Laura squints her eyes before checking on her Pip-boy.

"What are you doing?" Rufus asked

"Checking if the signal we encountered in Zion Canyon is here too"

"And?"

"Nothing. I don't see the same frequency"

"Well. We can get more info inside. You know this place best. How do we get inside?"

"Through the frontdoor" Laura replied as she throws a stealth boy to Rufus

"You're not the sneaking type, are you?"

"Takes too much time. I prefer to power through things quickly"

Using stealth boys, the two easily sneak past the guards on the front gate. At the courtyard, Laura notices a familiar nightkin, holding a large sword made from the blade of a vertibird, standing before several captured wastelanders, behind them being vats of green ooze.

"You would make a fine addition!" the nightkin shouted as it grabs one of the wastelanders and throw him to one of the vats

"Shit" Rufus whispered "They are converting humans…"

"No. No" Laura replied "There's something wrong here. This is against their nature"

"Let's just keep going. Do you know where to find Marcus?"

"I have an idea"

A few minutes later:

At the 2nd floor of the pre-War resort, Laura and Rufus stand before a door leading to a penthouse. Both individuals could hear voices coming from the other side.

Laura slowly opens the door.

"That Marcus?" Rufus asked as he sees a single super mutant talking to someone in a monitor

"Yes" Laura replied "But who is that man he's talking to?"

The two could barely see the man in the monitor but Laura could make out the business suit he was wearing.

"Is everything going according to plan?" the man asked

"Yes Master" Marcus replied "The humans have set up heavy defenses around the fortress. But we have been able to capture a few. They will be processed and converted in a matter of days"

"Very good. You have done well, Marcus. I am proud of you"

"I live to serve your will, master"

"Continue with the operation. Commence another raid in 2 hours"

"Yes master"

Marcus then turns the terminal off before walking towards Laura and Rufus, who slowly walk backwards.

As the super mutant leaves the room, Laura and Rufus go towards the terminal as their stealth boys wear off.

"Someone's encouraging these attacks" Rufus remarked as Laura turns the terminal on

"Now I know who's responsible" Laura responded as she starts hacking "Now I just need to know where he is"

"You know how to trace his signal?"

"I've had a lot of practice. He is not getting away with this"

"I'll be lookout then"

Rufus positions himself by the door and opens it slightly, looking down the dark hallways.

After a few minutes, Laura inserts a holotape into the terminal. "I got it"

"You know where he is"

"Yes. Let's get to a safe locatio-"

"What? Why is this door open?" A super mutant said, noticing the open door

"Shit!"

The two quickly go against the wall near the door as the super mutant closes it.

"Got anymore stealth boys?" Rufus whispered

Laura shakes her head.

"So we're sneaking out the normal way"

"In the event we get spotted, aim for non-lethal takedowns"

"You expect us to get caught?"

"The nightkin"

"Right… The stealthy super mutants. So we go loud?"

"Now yet"

"Ok. Let's move and-"

The second Rufus opens the door, he finds himself staring upwards towards Marcus.

"Oh shit…" he uttered as Marcus grabs him by the neck

"Marcus!" Laura shouted aiming her Maria at the super mutant "What's the meaning of all this?"

"The Master has returned" Marcus replied tightening his grip on Rufus' neck "His dream of unification shall finally be realized!"

Rufus quickly plunges his hidden blade on Marcus' right arm, forcing him to let go of the wanderer. Quickly regaining his composure, Rufus punches Marcus' stomach, the force being great enough to cause the mutant to recoil.

"Let's go!" Rufus shouted as he and Laura jump past the super mutant

"Brothers! Sisters!" Marcus shouted as he recovers from Rufus' attack "We have intruders! Kill them! The Master's plans must not be known!"

Quickly making their way to the main lobby, Laura and Rufus fins it blocked by numerous super mutants and nightkin., who all open fire.

Both individuals go prone as Rufus throws a flash grenade on the 1st floor.

With the super mutants stunned, both individuals quickly get back up and jump through one of the windows in the 2nd floor.

Upon landing on the ground, Laura quickly dodges an attack from a nightkin's blade.

"Lily!" she said dodging another swing "Don't you recognize me?!"

"Puny human!" the nightkin responded "Hold still!"

"Laura!" Rufus shouted as an invisible nightkin tackles him to the ground

Despite being invisible, Rufus manages to grab both fists before they could land though the nightkin proves to be stronger than he thought as he was quickly losing his grip on the fists.

Rufus quickly moves his head to the side, allowing the right fist to land on the ground. Using his left hidden blade, the wanderer stabs the nightkin's arm. The pain gives Rufus enough time to push the nightkin away from him before throwing a pulse grenade, neutralizing its stealth capabilities.

The second he sees the nightkin's face, Rufus punches as hard as he could, knocking the mutant to the ground.

"Laura!" he shouted as Laura dodges another swing

"Nevermind me!" Laura replied as she grabs the nightkin's arms and throws it to the ground "Get the captives out!"

"Right!"

Rufus runs towards the tied up captives by the vats as several super mutants and nightkin attempt to block his way.

One mutant tries to grab him but the wanderer side steps and throws the mutant to the ground before continuing on his path.

Another one tries to crush Rufus with a sledgehammer but the wanderer grabs the weapon and, with all his might, moves the super mutant in the way of another super mutant's sledgehammer.

The super mutant is hit by the sledgehammer and falls to the ground as Rufus quickly runs towards the other super mutant and does a series of punches on the creature's stomach. The mutant falls to its knees before Rufus punches it in the face, knocking it out.

Meanwhile, Laura continues to plead to the nightkin to no avail. "Lily! Come on!"

"Hold still, puny human!" the nightkin shouted as it attempts a downward slash

"Damn it, Lily!" Laura shouted as she grabs the blade with both her hands "Sorry but you forced me!"

With her immense strength, Laura starts spinning the mutant around before releasing her grip on the blade, causing it to fly into the resort's doors, destroying them.

Laura then quickly runs over to Rufus and the freed captives, who are hiding behind some sandbags as super mutants started opening fire on their position.

"I'm really tempted to return fire!" Rufus shouted

"No!" Laura replied as she brings out a grenade "On my go, hold your breath and run! Do you understand?"

Rufus and captives nod.

"Good! 1. 2. 3!"

Laura throws the grenade towards the gate. Seconds later, a thick greenish smoke blankets the gate.

"Ah!" the super mutants yelled "It stinks!"

Taking the opportunity, the humans all run through the smoke as the super mutants start pouring from the resort.

"The hell was that?!" Rufus asked

"Methane grenade" Laura answered "So long as the mutants don't fire on the smoke, it shouldn't ignite"

Fort Covington, New York:

"Where the hell are Goris and Jack?!" Audrey shouted as she and her paladins push to the courthouse's 2nd floor.

"They seem to have gone to the room on the right" a paladin answered

"No radio contact?"

"They're not responding, ma'am!"

"Shit! Push forward then! Their leaders are bound to be hiding behind all these fortifications!"

The three Brotherhood soldiers break cover and push their way towards the 2nd floor as entrenched Enclave troops force them to take cover behind some debris.

After a while, Audrey notices a grenade roll near her position.

"Out of the armor!" Audrey shouted as she and the paladins eject from their power armor

An electrical pulse surges towards the power armor as Enclave troops break cover and start moving slowly towards them while still firing their weapons.

"Prepare counter-armor tactics!" Audrey commanded as she and the paladins each bring out what looks like a cattle rod

The second the first Enclave trooper comes into range, Audrey quickly electrifies the armor with her weapon, the electrical surge overloading the power armor's systems.

She uses the disabled power armor as cover while the other 2 paladins disable the other 2 Enclave power armor before neutralizing the unarmored Enclave soldiers with their pistols.

One of the Paladins then throws a pulse grenade from one of the dead Enclave soldiers, neutralizing the rest of the enemy power armor.

After neutralizing the rest of the enemy soldiers, Audrey and her team move towards the door these fortifications seemed to be protecting.

"Locked!" Audrey said after turning the door's knob "Breach!"

One of the paladins nods as he brings out a Mossberg 500 shotgun before shooting the door's hinges.

The paladin then steps back as Audrey kicks the door down.

The 3 Brotherhood soldiers quickly enter the room, guns drawn but find it completely empty.

"The hell?!" Audrey said "Where are those bastards…?"

"They're not here"

The 3 soldiers quickly turn around with their guns still drawn.

"Jack?!" Audery said "Where the fuck have you been?!"

"Me and Goris found something interesting" Jack replied as a 3rd figure enters the room

"YOU!" Audrey shouted as she aims her gun at the figure

"Stand down!" Jack said grabbing Audrey's gun by the barrel "He's not the enemy!"

"What are you talking about?! He's the commanding officer we had those 'negotiations' with yesterday!"

"Yes that's me" Bryle responded "But as you can see, I'm not wearing my power armor or even any kind of tactical gear"

"What?"

"His men mutinied" Jack added "Bryle didn't sanction these attacks"

"And you're just gonna believe their commander like that?"

"He speaks truth" Goris interjected "I and Jack found him tied to a chair inside one of the rooms in this building"

"Sounds like a classic trap. Assuming that you're telling the truth, why the hell would the Enclave even lock you up here and not move you when the fighting started?"

"My 2nd-in-command convinced most of the higher ranking officers to mutiny" Bryle answered "The lower rank-and-file don't know I was imprisoned. Moving me would have risked me cluing the common soldiers of the mutiny besides; you already identified us as the enemy so they were hoping I'd get killed during the fighting"

"Alright… So what can you offer us now? Can you end this fighting?"

"There is a holotape inside a safe in the next room. Inside is the key to stopping all this"

"What good can a holotape do?"

"Show the truth"

"Truth?"

"My officers rebelled because they thought this was going to be another Navarro"

"So they'd prefer to die than surrender, huh?" Jack wondered

"No. It's less about dying for the cause and more about the fact that we did surrender and yet the NCR still continued attacking us and even after Navarro, the culling continued"

"The Enclave purges" Audrey uttered

"Correct. Though that's not the complete truth. We did surrender back in Navarro and the NCR was prepared to accept it but it was a feint. Under the guise of a white flag, the commanders of that time did the very dishonorable act of conducting a surprise attack during the negotiations. It failed miserably because the officers underestimated a certain tribal warrior present during said negotiations"

"Well yeah. That's common knowledge to everyone who asked about the Navarro assault"

"Not with the Enclave. You think the higher ups at that time would admit to such dirty tactics? No. They changed the truth and made it look like the NCR ignored our pleas for surrender. It maintained morale even to the point that it was more than enough to motivate the survivors to travel to the East Coast"

"So inside that holotape is the truth of the incident?"

"Yes. Undeniable security camera footage of the entire negotiations as well as the subsequent attack"

"So by telling the truth, your men would stand down? Why only reveal it now?"

"I'm ashamed that I didn't reveal the truth sooner. Admittedly, I didn't really consider the need to reveal it since it could damage our already shaky morale. After our failure at the Capital Wasteland, we not only lost our leaders, we also lost our purpose. That lost purpose scattered the once powerful Enclave army. These men with me now are all that I could gather"

"So thanks to an Enclave leader's shortsightedness, other people suffer… again"

"I won't defend our actions. Just know that all I did since our defeat at Adams Air Force Base was for the survival of my people"

"Bold words coming from an Enclave snake!"

"Audrey!" Jack interjected "Our objective is to recruit these soldiers. Besides, you weren't even alive yet when the Enclave attacked the Capital Wasteland and even if you were, you were nowhere near the place!"

"I've read enough of the Brotherhood's logs and experienced a few skirmishes against remnant patrols! I know what kind of people these remnants are!"

"Audrey, think this through! You only have secondhand information regarding these people! The people that were directly affected by the Enclave have already moved on with their lives! You can't judge them like this!"

"I don't know if you understand, Jack, but I know how these kinds of people operate and I know how it feels to be their victim and I am NOT willing to give another one of their kind a chance!"

Audrey then aims her rifle at the Enclave officer's head.

"Audrey!" Jack shouted as one of the paladins aims his shotgun at his head "Don't do this!"

"Stop!" Goris said as he attempts to intervene but the other paladin points his cattle rod at the deathclaw

"I won't stop you" Bryle said calmly "You're free to kill me but know that if you do, you'll have to kill every single last soldier in this vicinity, including their families"

"Trying to appeal to my sensibilities?" Audrey replied

"No. I'm just stating a fact. Some of these soldiers have families. Wives, husbands, sons, daughters. Leaving even a single family member alive may prove to be a mistake because the cycle of revenge consumes all who are even remotely related to both victim and perpetrator"

"Audrey…!" Jack said as he felt the shotgun's barrel on his head

After a few tense minutes, Audrey puts her rifle down.

"…This better not be a trick" she said staring at Bryle

"It's not" Jack responded

"I'll get the holotape" Bryle said as he walks into the next room, accompanied by Goris

"Trust me on this" Jack said patting Audrey's shoulder "I'm a good judge of character"

"I really hope you're right because if you're not… We're all dead"

2118

Underground Assassin Bureau, Washington State

A few days later:

"Ezekiel what are you doing here?" Raven asked as he noticed his grandson loitering near the briefing room

"I was just looking around" Ezekiel answered "Me and the others haven't been out on missions in a while. I was wondering if there were any assignments and such"

"No missions today. If you're bored, you can go to the training area and do some laps"

"Ok…"

Raven then watches his grandson walk down the hall, waiting for him to disappear in the corner before entering the briefing room.

As he turns the corner, Ezekiel finds Miguel leaning on the wall.

"Well?" he asked

"No dice" Ezekiel replied "Looks like there's something happening"

"Wanna eavesdrop on them?"

"Way ahead of you. Let's go"

The two initiates then head towards the nearest vent opening.

After a few minutes of quietly crawling through the vents, the two finally reach a grate that gives them a partial view of the briefing room.

Though they can't properly see the people below them, the two could still clearly hear the conversation.

"We have a problem" the Assassin Mentor said

"Vault-Tec found us?" Raven asked

"No. There was an unauthorized access to one of our main terminals. Inside that terminal was a map of most of our bureaus"

"You think we have a mole?"

"It seems so…"

"You think one of the people from the Seattle Bureau is the culprit?"

"Based on the reports about the attack, I suspect so"

"Do we segregate the Seattle assassins?"

"Yes. We'll send all the Seattle survivors to one of the bureaus present in our map while the essentials will be moved to our emergency bureau"

"But someone managed to take a map of all your bureaus. How will you hide?"

"Not this one. Centuries of being hunted by Templars has forced the Brotherhood to adapt contingency measures"

"Right… So how do we approach this?"

"We start moving essential equipment and personnel to the emergency bureau slowly then once most of them have been evacuated, we'll issue a full withdrawal from this bureau"

"Will our ships be safe?"

"I'll be moving some of the ships to the emergency bureau just in case all the shipyards have been compromised"

"How big is this emergency bureau?"

"Big enough to keep an army while staying completely hidden from the naked eye"

"So that's why you wanted the Lazarus Shield"

"Yes. That shield will aid in cloaking the bureau and the ships"

"How about the army? Is everyone ready to strike?"

"No… We don't have enough crew to man all the warships and planes"

"Shit… I guess I'll have to make contact with the government remnants"

"The ones in that oil rig, right? Careful. There are most likely Templars in their ranks. Don't give away our bureau"

"I know but then you'll have to be working with the Templars either way. Can't you two secret organizations kiss and make up?"

"It's not that easy, Raven. We've been at war for more than a millennia. Animosity that long doesn't go away so easily"

"Well you gotta figure out a way to make it work. We can't win without additional help and the only other group that we got is the remnants and their Templar backers"

"Yes I know. For now, just make contact with them. Let's see how it goes from there"

"Alright… Damn Oppenheim… Bastard is always a step ahead"

"Don't give up yet, Raven. His overconfidence can be to our advantage but we gotta move quickly"

"Yeah. Let's do this"

The two initiates waited silently at the vents until they heard the doors open and close before heading back.

Ezekiel's Room:

"Damn…" Ezekiel said pacing the room "Whoever the mole is, he's already started leaking to Vault-Tec"

"So what do we do?" Miguel asked

"Grandpa said someone from the Seattle bureau could be the traitor. Miguel. Do you know anyone that was suspicious?"

"Suspicious? Don't really know. I didn't notice much until the attack"

"Damn it…"

"Let's ransack the Seattle survivors' rooms then"

"Whoah. Whoah. That's a tall order there, man"

"We have no choice, Miguel. Time's ticking. We gotta move fast before this mole calls in the hammer! Let's go get Helen to help!"

"Alright. Alright. Lead the way"